Untighten my heart
Unfetter me
Reminder, redeemer
Bread broken for one
Could serve two, or three
Unclench my palm
O gracious, o spacious
Salt, olive oil, tree
Let me remember My abundancy
Lighten my load
My pallet warm
Joy, apple crate, snow
The orphan, the stranded
Let me give them room
Shelter me from harm
Unbar my door
The neighbor, the stranger
Let them know
My generosity
— Mohja Kahf
About the poet
Mohja Kahf (b. 1967; pronounced [mohʒɑ kɑf]) is the author of poetry volumes My Lover Feeds Me Grapefruit (2020), Hagar Poems (2016), and E-mails from Scheherazad (2003); novel The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf (2006); as well as an academic book, Western Representations of the Muslim Woman (1999). Kahf is a professor of comparative literature and a member of the Middle East Studies Faculty at the University of Arkansas. Born in Damascus, Syria, Mohja Kahf grew up in the United States - specifically, in Utah, Indiana, and New Jersey. She is a member of the Syrian Nonviolence Movement, which was founded inside Syria in April 2011 by Syrian protesters dedicated to nonviolence.
Duration approx. 5’
For the South Bend Chamber Singers Nancy Menk, conductor